Malcolm Martin and Gaynor Dowling: Marked

Traver Gallery is pleased to present Marked, the first solo exhibition of works by Malcolm Martin and Gaynor Dowling in the Pacific Northwest. Since 1997, the collaborative team from Stroud, Gloucestershire, England, has carved almost exclusively with hand tools, using traditional gouge and mallet techniques, to create their contemporary "vessel-sculptures." The richly textured surfaces in oak, maple, sycamore and walnut - many of which are limed and scorched - reference the duo's fascination with wood-carved objects, ethnographic tapestries, and eastern ceramics. Martin's studies in sculpture at the Royal College of Art, London combined with Dowling's training in textiles are evident in the resulting form and texture of the work. This exhibition includes work from the artists' most recent series investigating the marriage of traditional carving techniques with hand-stitching using bookbinding thread.

Martin & Dowling have established an international reputation and impressive collector base. Their work is held in many public collections, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Crafts Council, UK; Boston Museum of Fine Art, USA; Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery (Contemporary Art Society purchase), UK; Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK; Ruskin Gallery, Sheffield, UK; and The Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA.

Martin & Dowling were recently interviewed in the May 2015 edition of American Art Collector.